Game for teaching multiplication



July 2, 1929. E. FENNELL.

GAME FOR TEACHING MULTIPLICATION Filed May 23. 1927 l 1./7/ ATTORNEYS Patented July 2, 1929.

PATENT OFFICE.

ELEANOR FENNELL, OF NEW YORK,

GAME FOR TEACHING MULTIPLICATION.

Application med May l23,'

This invention relates to games of the educational type and particularly to a game for facilitating the teaching of multiplication.

An/object of the invention is to provide a game in. which, as an incident of the playin@ ot the game, the player will be required to loo up the products of certain factors in order to determine the score.

Other objects and important features of JLU the invention will appear from the following description and claims when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l illustrates one embodiment of the l invention, and

Figure 2 is a sectional View on the line 2-2 ot Figure l.

rlhe game may be arranged to be played in various Ways as, for example, on a board 2,

like that illustrated, having depressions 4 in 'which a ball or marble 6 may come to rest,

irregularities 8 being provided in the surface of the board outside the scoring area and between said scoring area and the point from which the ball 6 is to be projected or allowed to gravitate toward the scoring area so as to change the direction of travel of the ball and cause it to move more or less at random over the scoring area, thus increasing the element of chance.

The scoring area of the board is preferably rectangular and is shown as divided by intersectin columns into squares l0, the columns being designated along the two sides with corresponding numerals which are here shown as arranged in corresponding sequences, although this is unnecessary so long as each numbered column on one side intersects a correspondingly numbered column.

In the illustrated embodiment ol the invention, the columns along each ot the two lesignating sides of the square are numbered consecutively from l to l2. Where certain of these columns intersect, the products ot' the numbers designating the intersecting columns are placed at the intersections. In order, howaver, that the player may nothave before him in every case the product of these two numbers, some of the intersections are not provided vvith the corresponding product-s.

It will be seen, for example, that the column 9 of the horizontal series, where it interntlf the column l0 of the vertical series, has

1927. Serial No. 193,429.

no designation, at this intersection, of the product of 9 times 10. The player, if he does not know this product, must thereforey look for the intersection of the column 9 of the vertical serieswith the column l0 of the hori zontal series. .At this latter intersection the product of 9 times 10 is given.

It will be apparent that where the square of a number appears, that is, at the'intersection of correspondingly numbered columns, there is no duplicate intersection. ln the illustrative embodiment, therefore, on the diagonal containing the squares, the products are given in every case.

'l The game may be constructed either as shown in Fig. 1 with depressions for receiving the ball only in the squares having no designation and in those having numerical squares in order to compel the player, in most instances, to look up the square at the intersection of correspondingly .numbered columns to determine the score, or the scoring area may be printed upon a flat surface and the game played with discs in which case the disc would sometimes rest upon a blank square, requiring the player to look up the score7 and again would rest upon a numbered square, thus saving him this effort. Depressions are preferably provided, in the illustrative embodiment, in those squares where two like numbered columns intersect and in these squares the products, that is the squares of the numbers, are also preterablygiven since there are no duplicates oit these.

lt will be seen that after the player has played the game Jfor a time he will soon know the products corresponding to the factors designating the columns intersecting at the blank squares and thus, in the illustrative embodiment, will become familiar with the prbducts ot' all numbers :trom l. to 12.

ln the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the board 2 is provided with a. flange 12 to keep the ball or marble used in playing the game from rolling ott the edge of: the board. ln playing the game with the illustrated embodiment, the movement of the ball from outside the scoring area u on the scoring. area may be effected by simply tilting the board, or the player may leave the board on the level and effect the movement of the ball in any other desired manner.

.lt will be understood that the term square is used in 'the specification and Claims to indi- -cate the rectangular subdivisions of the scor- .in area formed bythe intersections of the said squares.

co umns and is not necessarily restricted to an equilateral rectangle.

What is claimed as new is:

1. A game device comprising a playing board having thereon a rectangular area 'divided -by intersecting columns into squares,

the columns along two intersecting sides be ing designated by numerals in such manner that .the numeral designating a column'on one side has a duplicate onthe intersecting side designating an intersecting column, cer-` tain of the squares where columns cross being marked with the products of the numerals by which the intersecting columns are respectively designated and other squares where columns designated by the same two numerals cross being left blank,'said playing board being adapted for use with a game piece and having a surface over which the game piece may move at random` said surace being provided with means for arresting the game piece infposition over one of 2. A game device having a playing surface over which a game piece may be moved, said tions of correspondingly numerically designated columns are left blank.

3. A game device comprising a laying surface having thereon a rectangu ar area divided by intersecting columns into squares, the columns along two intersecting sides being designated by numerals in such manner that the numeral designating a column on one side has a duplicate on the intersecting side designating an intersecting column, certain of the squares where columns cross being marked with the products of the numerals by -which the intersecting columns are respectively designated and other squares where columns designated by the same two numerals cross being left blank, the playing surface beingadapted for use with a game piece and being provided with means for arresting the game piece in position in the blank squares.

4. A game device comprising a playing board having thereon a rectangular scoring area divided by'intersecting columns into squares, the squares along two intersecting sides beingdesignated by numerals in such manner that the numeral designating a co1- uinn on one side has aI duplicate on the intersecting side designating an intersecting column, at least a portion of the squares Where columns cross being marked with the products of the numerals by which the columns are respectively designated, the playing surface of said board being adapted for use with a game piece and being provided with means for arresting the game piece in position over at leasta portion of the marked squares.

Signed at New York, N. Y., this 13th day of May, 1927.

ELEANOR FENNELL. 

